Planet ISKCON

 (Written on behalf of the Gopal Krishna Goswami’s Health Care Team.) A few days ago,  after a period of repeated fevers, it had been confirmed that Gopal Krishna Goswami tested positive for Covid-19 and was admitted to a hospital in New Delhi — making the worldwide ISKCON community very worried.    However, Gopal Krishna Goswami soon […]

The post Gopal Krishna Goswami Is Better, Released From Hospital appeared first on ISKCON News.

A few days ago, after a period of repeated fevers, it had been confirmed that Gopal Krishna Goswami tested positive for Covid-19 and was admitted to a hospital in New Delhi — making the worldwide ISKCON community very worried.  

What is a "Hindu"? Who is a "Hindu"? Where does the word come from? Are today's followers of various Indian spiritual traditions "Hindus?" A video by Chandrashekhara Acharya Dasa (Unfiltered)

On August 31st, at 3:30 AM, on the auspicious appearance day of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, Ramadevi Dasi, a dedicated disciple of Srila Prabhupada departed from this world in Sri Dham Mayapur. After decades of serving Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Madhava by designing and making Their night dresses and engaging so many others in Their intimate […]

The post Ramadevi Dasi Passes Away appeared first on ISKCON News.

She spent decades of serving Sri Sri Radha-Madhava by designing and making Their night dresses also serving the community as a loving and expert midwife who delivered most of the community's children for over thirty years.

Filmed on Krishna Janmashtami, 13th August 2020 At the Bhaktivedanta Manor, London, UK. A video by The Colletion of Devotion.

The Birth of Lord Krishna was performed for 30 resident devotees who also took part, rather than the traditional cast members. It was of course broadcast live online.

This year, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust released a free, downloadable PDF version of the annual international “Sri Vyasa-Puja” book, featuring a collection of homages to ISKCON Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada from devotees and temples all over the world. Meanwhile ISKCON of Delhi, India notably compiled its own three-volume Vyasa-Puja book with offerings to Srila Prabhupada from […]

The post 3,400 Devotees Contribute Offerings for Delhi Prabhupada Vyasa-Puja Book appeared first on ISKCON News.

Physical editions of the books were printed by ISKCON-affiliated publishing house Golden Age Media, and offered simultaneously to the Srila Prabhupada murtis in each of ISKCON Delhi’s fourteen different centers on Vyasa-Puja day, August 13^th. 

  A statement issued by ISKCON Communications India: Devotees and members of ISKCON are pained to learn about the passing of Shri Pranab Mukherjee Ji, former President of India.  Our hearts go out to family and friends of Mr Mukherjee and pray to Lord Krishna for strength in this our of grief.  He was friend […]

The post ISKCON Saddened by the Passing of Shri Pranab Mukherjeeji, Former President of India appeared first on ISKCON News.

His thoughtful and inspiring speech as the President of India at the inauguration of the ISKCON temple in Pune, India, is something that devotees around the world remember till date.

His thoughtful and inspiring speech as the President of India at the inauguration of the ISKCON temple in Pune, India, is something that devotees around the world remember till date.

Yorkville, Toronto

Victory Victory

I spoke from this verse, which became this morning’s class at our temple’s ashram. Bhagavatam 10:87:14. It is a profound message:

“The śrutis said: Victory, victory to You, O unconquerable one! By Your very nature You are perfectly full in all opulences; therefore please defeat the eternal power of illusion, who assumes control over the modes of nature to create difficulties for conditioned souls. O You who awaken all the energies of the moving and non-moving embodied beings, sometimes the Vedas can recognize You as You sport with Your material and spiritual potencies.”

The above verse is in praise of the Creator and it addresses His connection to the world. When I was walking this morning, in Yorkville area, it was buzzing with people in their outdoor bars and cafés. It is their world, not a big one, nevertheless, it is made out to be significant for them. I know I look out of place, but that’s ok. When folks take a swig of their drink and they see a monk it might help them think about discipline, as an option toward happiness, when they see saffron passing by.

Earlier on I made a short video and promotion of an upcoming seminar by Suresvara called, “Srila Prabhupada: Our Founder Acharya.” It is set for September 5th, 6th and 13th, check Iskcon Toronto’s Facebook page. It is more specifically meant for the followers of Iskcon. Leaders, specifically, benefit from this.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Toronto, Ontario

Your Day Full

We have begun to dedicate our staircase Kirtan (chanting session) to Gopal Krishna Goswami, who is stable in health but still under threat of the virus. We are confident that this pure sound will make its way in the direction where providence will look favourably.

In the kirtan was Sushank, a South Indian, raised in Punjab, who landed himself with a job in Canada. He has been committed to the culture of Krishna for some time. He phoned me up the other day and expressed a wish to go with one of us for a walk and talk. That’s what we did after the chanting.

“How did you get involved (in Krishna consciousness)?” He asked.

So I told him of my journey. I heard of his as well. He was quite content to exchange like this and wanted to walk/talk again in the near future.

“Let’s do it!”

I went down memory lane more than once today, in some manner, by talking at length with Godbrother (Go Bro), Yogesvara, a.k.a. Joshua Green, the author of a number of books including, “Swami in a Strange Land.” He shared with me some of his pastimes when in France and New York. He’s inspiring and I love his book.

I believe that to make your day full you must connect with peers, elders and youngerlings, that way there’s sharing, receiving and giving all wrapped in as one.

May the source be with you!

6 km

Within the final twenty years of his life, Bhaktivedanta Swami translated over sixty volumes of classic Vedic scriptures (such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam) into the English language. For their authority, depth, and clarity, his books have won praise from professors at colleges and universities like Harvard, Oxford, Cornell, Columbia, Syracuse, Oberlin, and Edinburgh, and his Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is was published by Macmillan Publishers, in 1968 and unabridged edition in 1972, and is now available in over sixty languages around the world and some other books by Bhaktivedanta Swami are available in over eighty different languages.

(A companion article to “The Bhagavad Gita and the Path to Justice” appearing in ISKCON News on June 26, 2020.) Mahabharata works on many levels. It is itihasa – history, that which occurred. It’s also good literature with wonderful stories.  Mahabharata is also a book of knowledge, classified as the fifth Veda. Mahabharata is specifically […]

The post Mahabharata and Justice appeared first on ISKCON News.

Mahabharata is specifically meant to help us understand  and appreciate the nuanced meanings and principles of dharma.  

A video by ISKCON Ministry of Education.

Srila Vyasadeva is the topmost intellectual. Is there enough "space" in our movement for intellectuals?

“Rules regarding the self are of two types – those for body and those for mind...If a person doesn’t follow the mental rules, his power of realization, concentration, imagination, contemplation and judgement will be weak and will not properly function...

The world is on the edge of a precipice, on an individual and global scale. We find ourselves plagued by everything from unemployment, social instability and depression, to climate change, nuclear proliferation and a global pandemic.

By the blessings of Sri Sri Radha Parthasarathi, Gaura Nitai and Sita Rama Lakshman Hanuman, HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja was discharged from the hospital today and arrived back at ISKCON Delhi.

"I have another story; this one was told by my father. My father's elder brother was running a cloth shop. Before closing the shop my uncle would put out a basin filled with rice. Of course, as in any village, there were rats. But the rats would take the rice and not cut even a single cloth. Cloth is very costly. If even one cloth had been cut by a rat, then it would have been a great loss. So with a few pennies' worth of rice, he saved many dollars' worth of cloth. This Krishna culture is practical. They are also part and parcel of God. Give them food. They'll not create any disturbance. Give them food. Everyone has an obligation to feed whoever is hungry— even if it is a tiger. Continue reading "Compassion as a Main Element of Vaisnava Culture
→ Dandavats"

During the recent GBC Annual General Meeting 2020 at Sridham Mayapur, the GBC considered a proposal from ISKCON’s Ministry of Education to include a week in ISKCON’s calendar, dedicated to promoting the regular reading of Srila Prabhupada books. GBC body resolved to celebrate this festival during the week leading up to Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in America, i.e. 3rd to 9th September, 2020 Continue reading "International Shravanam Week
→ Dandavats"

Be a Sage, Page by Page (video)
How to upgrade your life by reading Srila Prabhupada’...Read More...

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 August 2017, Durban, South Africa, Radhastami Evening Program)

Srimati Radharani is wandering in the forests of Vrndavana and she is not entirely in a calm state of mind. Her love for Krsna is not casual. It is not love that you put on the shelf and sometimes take it off and dust it off for a romantic moment. It is not love that is there after work and after business is done. It is not love in between. It is there all the time and with intensity. It is not that sometimes it peaks and other times it is sort of flat. No, this love is existing constantly in great intensity. 

Yet, it is said that Srimati Radharani takes greater pleasure when other gopis are with Krsna than when she is with Krsna Herself, and that She will push others forward for the pleasure of Krsna. Ultimately, this does not end there – this selflessness extends to all living beings. Therefore, Srimati Radharani is there to elevate us and to teach us what real love is and what real selflessness is. 

The article " Embodiment of real selflessness " was published on KKSBlog.

We moved to Mayapur in 2004, and my mother brought my sister and I to the sewing room so that we could do some service. There, in that big messy room, was Ramadevi Dasi, and she presented to us all the possibilities of service that we might do for Radha Madhava. She seemed to me, quite stern and grumpy and I wasn’t sure how I felt about her at first. But she told my mother later that we needn’t be so formal around her and that we should drop “Mataji” and call her “Aunty Ramram” instead. This we did, and that’s when the fun started.

When a devotee is weak, is having difficulty, or in a spiritual crisis, the Vaisnava family should be there to uplift and restore their strength and enthusiasm. Selfless service to each other, with Krishna in the center, creates trust. Trust nourishes love. Loving relations in Srila Prabhupada's service is the string that binds all of us together on the necklace of bhakti. Continue reading "The most important responsibility
→ Dandavats"

International Shravanam Week address by GBC Chairman, His Holiness Ramai Swami

“So we tried to discuss our left brain, right brain approaches to Scripture. And then you started by how this brain researcher, she had a different way of looking after a stroke. So, that's one scientific way of saying that, you know, the science way of looking at reality is not the only way. The another layers of chances are through all paranormal research, where there is various kinds of research done in Stanford and other places.

Love , we are told is all we need. It is the most deliberated topic of countless movies, articles, songs, poems, books and discussions. The ultimate purpose of our life is to develop love towards the Supreme Person- Lord Krishna. This podcast discusses amongst other things, how to appreciate love in this world to appreciate Krishna’s love for us.

The following is a video by His Holiness Indradyumna Swami speaking about the historic Grand Installation of the new Prabhupada Murti in the TOVP in February, 2021 to celebrate the 125th Appearance Anniversary Year of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.

2021 celebrates the 125th Appearance Anniversary Year of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder/Acharya of ISKCON. The TOVP will be recognizing this auspicious appearance year of the Samstapak Acharya (acharya for the next 10,000 years) with a 3-day festival beginning with the Appearance of the adi-guru, Lord Nityananda Himself, on February 25th, along with a worldwide Prabhupada Abhisheka observance. February 26th is dedicated to the opening ceremony of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja’s samadhi and remembrances by Godbrothers and disciples. On February 27th we will complete the celebration with the installation of a specially designed, one-of-a-kind, life-size murti of Srila Prabhupada created by master sculptor, Locan das (ACBSP). Like no other Prabhupada murti in the world, this murti sits in a ‘worship pose’ personifying his statement, “Mayapur is my place of worship”. He will sit gloriously on his grand Vyasasana for hundreds of years to come, eternally worshiping his Lordships and welcoming all the pilgrims who come to see Them.

February 25 – Nityananda Trayodasi / Worldwide Prabhupada Abhisheka

February 26 – Bhakti Charu Maharaja Samadhi Opening

February 27 – New Prabhupada Murti Installation

Donate today towards our worldwide combined guru dakshina campaign for Srila Prabhupada to help open the TOVP by sponsoring one or more of six kinds of abhishekas.

Go to the link below to sponsor an abhisheka: https://tovp.org/donate/prabhupada-murti-installation/

Podcast

Video:

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Wasaga, Ontario

We Pulled Up

Vishal, from Toronto, and I pulled up at Jiva’s beach home, just after ploughing through a massive puddle of storm water. I had informed Vishal of the scary news, that another one of our senior monks was tested positive for Covid 19. However, Gopal Krishna Goswami is fairly stable at the moment. Like a wave that comes at you, like a surprise, we did not anticipate another swami would be stricken with the virus.

On the way up to Wasaga, Vishal and I had a conversation—a good one—the theme of which was “you can know your scripture, you can know your rituals and have many verses memorized, you can know all the etiquette and protocols, but in your heart of transformation, do you know how to be kind and caring to others?”

Vishal and I continued to have great discussions with Jiva, both before and after our swim. How to understand life? What is our purpose and contribution to the world? There are ugly truths existing; issues, both political and social. Can we affect a change?

From Jiva’s home we visited his wife, Sita, at her farm. There is luxuriant growth of veggies including hemp. We trekked a distance of the hundred acre property. Wild grapes, sumac, cattails and all wild plants are abound. No pesticides.

On our return to Toronto we stopped at the farm in Caledon. To our surprise Vishal (another one) was sitting beside a distraught cow—Durali. She is suffering from trauma since her mother Durga died. She also gave birth to a bullcalf – Subhal. Perhaps post-trauma from this experience also struck her. She hasn’t eaten substantially in 10 days. We hope she makes it.

May the source be with you!

0 km

Ballantrae, Ontario

New House — Go Spiritual

Kishor and Nita, as well as their son (a master chess player) and daughter, made a great move. It became official, or at least a spiritual venture, today as it was the blessing of their new home in Ballantrae. It’s a new subdivision, with trees and trails all around. I couldn’t, as a guest, manage to find time for trekking on any of the trails, but I did participate in the fire ceremony indoors. That’s the way it’s done at such a home’s blessing.

With the influence of Covid 19, a limited number of people were able to participate. The house is large enough to accommodate 100 people. We endorsed “the move” with Agni, fire, and also mantra chanting.

Most often weekends are for community endeavours, for home blessings like this. Home owner Kishor, who was a happy man at the conclusion of the ceremony, expressed, “We can use the space for future devotional gatherings.” This adds another home to our list of houses used for this purpose. Our congregants are absolutely crazy about using their space for God. To me, it’s a good sign. There’s got to be something holy going on in this frustrated, confused world.

While mingling some of the attendees spoke about the shooting in Wisconsin, by a white officer on a black man, and this escalated the already agitated social strife in the States. It was a sobering moment over a delicious meal.

Speaking of color, one Zoom call today was with a group of people who wanted to know of Chaitanya. Our themed message was “From black to gold.” Chaitanya had a gold complexion and he was an incarnation of the very beautiful and dark-complexioned Krishna.

May the Source be with you!

3 km

Seaton Village, Toronto

Clothes

There were bright moments, even minutes, of the day. For instance, Sanjit was kind enough to take me to Cherry Beach once again, for a physio session. By that I mean submerging in the water for some time, which was the best approach to soothing any stiffness. Today’s grain-less diet, due to the ekadasi fast, was also a high point. And then there was the walk with Victor.

Victor, a young school teacher, who sprang upon me in Ramsden Park some months ago, has been keeping in touch. On our evening trek to Bloor and Manning we talked about clothing. We both concurred on how clothes play a major role in one’s life. There we were walking, he in his Islamic attire—all white, even to the white socks with the “puma” insignia on them, as well as white shoes. And there I was in a spanking new set of saffron robes from India, with sandals to boot.

We passed by a middle aged pedestrian male who said, “You guys look alike!”

“Thank you!”

We carried on talking, quiet on the same page about proper attire. Clothing should not be irritable, but comfortable. Pants are one of the worst inventions. Clothing should not be so tight that you have to peel it off before going to bed. (Chuckle). Our attire should cover the body. We admitted it’s orthodox to say; I suggested “if you don’t dress chaste you will be chased.”

Have you ever noticed how people are embarrassingly tight with their clothes, and don’t have the figure for it? It looks bulgingly ridiculous. Never wear a design with horizontal stripes. You’ll appear twice the size. Of course we are not these bodies but we should apparel ourselves in respectful ways.

May the Source be with you!

4 km